Teaching

Courses & Topics

[M.Sc.] Advanced Nuclear Physics

[Course contents:]

Nuclear Structure & Decays

  • Nuclear Models (35)
  • Liquid drop model
  • Nuclear shell model: Individual particle model
  • Collective model: especially for odd-A, emphasis on coupling of particle and collective motions, ground state, β and γ bands (rotational).
  • Phenomenological description of collective degrees of excitations, VMI and anharmonic vibrator models, behaviour of nuclei at high-spin.
  • degenerate gas-model
  • Nilsson model.
  • Nuclei far away from the stability valley: drip line, extremely neutron rich nuclei, superheavy nuclei.
  • α-decay
  • β-decay (9) Most general form of the interaction Hamiltonian, helicity, determination of neutrino helicity, reduction to the V − A form, lepton number conservation, parity non-conservation, qualitative discussions of Coulomb effects, Fermi and Gamow-Teller matrix elements, selection rules, allowed and forbidden transitions, log(f t) values.
  • γ-decay (9) Interaction of electromagnetic field with nuclei, multipole expansion, parity and angular momentum selection rules, transition probability within single particle model, angular distribution and directional correlation orientation ratio.

Nuclear Reactions

  • Introduction: Survey of reactions of nuclei: Strong, electromagnetic and weak processes,
  • Types of reactions and Q-values, Threshold energy
  • Reaction mechanisms: Energy and time scales for direct and compound reactions
  • Experimental observables: Cross sections — definitions and units; Angular distributions, Excitation functions, Low energy behaviour and astrophysical S-factors, Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of velocities, Thermal reaction rates and the Gamow peak.
  • Models for nuclear reactions
  • Direct reactions: Optical Model: From Hamiltonian to cross sections for elastic scattering; partial waves, phase shifts, scattering amplitudes, S-matrix and its symmetry and reciprocity; angular distributions, optical potential.
  • Nuclear Fission: Spontaneous fission, Mass energy distribution of fission fragments, Bohr-Wheeler theory, Fission isobars, Super-heavy nuclei.
  • Compound nuclear reactions. Breit-Wigner one-level formula.
  • Nuclear reactions in stars
  • H and He burning processes, Synthesis of heavy elements up to iron, Nucleosynthesis beyond iron.
  • Reactions involving exotic nuclei

[M.Sc.] Nuclear & Particle Physics-II

[Course contents]

1. Nuclear Interactions and Nuclear Reactions: Nucleon interaction, exchange forces and tensor forces, Meson theory of nuclear forces, nucleon-nucleon scattering, effective range theory, spin dependence of nuclear forces, charge independent and charge symmetry of nuclear forces, isospin formalism, Yukawa interaction.

2. Direct and compound nuclear mechanisms: cross-sections in terms of partial wave amplitudes, compound nucleus, scattering matrix, reciprocity theorem, Breit-Wigner one level formula, resonance scattering.

3. Alpha decay: Gamow's theory.

4. Beta decay: Angular momentum and parity selection rules, allowed and forbidden transitions, selection rules, parity violation, two component theory of neutrino decay, detection and properties of neutrino, Gamma decay, multiple transitions in nuclei, angular momentum and party selection rules, internal conversion, nuclear isomerism.

Two nuclear problem, deuteron ground state, nuclear scattering, sources on neutrons, its detection, measurement of energy, neutron diffraction application, interaction of neutron with matter.

5. Elementary Particle Physics: Symmetry and conservation laws, elementary ideas of CP and CPT invariance, classification of hadrons, Lie algebra, SU(2), SU(3) multiplets, quark model, Gell-Mann-Okubo mass formula for octet and decuplet hadrons, charms, bottom and top quarks.

6. Nuclear Astrophysics:

Primordial nucleosynthesis, energy production in stars, pp chain, CNO cycle. Production of elements (qualitative discussion).

[B.Sc. Hons.] Nuclear & Particle Physics-I

[Course contents:]

1. Nuclear Properties : Nuclear mass, charge, size, binding energy, spin and magnetic moment. Isobars, isotopes and isotones; mass spectrometer (Bainbridge).

2. Structure of Nucleus: Nature of forces between nucleons, nuclear stability and nuclear binding, the liquid drop model (descriptive) and the Bethe-Weizsacker mass formula, application to stability considerations, extreme single particle shell model (qualitative discussion with emphasis on phenomenology with examples).

3. Unstable nuclei: (i) Alpha decay : alpha particle spectra – velocity and energy of alpha particles. Geiger-Nuttal law.

(ii) Beta decay : nature of beta ray spectra, the neutrino, energy levels and decay schemes, positron emission and electron capture, selection rules, beta absorption and range of beta particles, Kurie plot.

(iii) Gamma decay : gamma ray spectra and nuclear energy levels, isomeric states. Gamma absorption in matter – photoelectric process, Compton scattering, pair production (qualitative).

4. Nuclear reactions: Conservation principles in nuclear reactions. Q-values and thresholds, nuclear reaction cross-sections, examples of different types of reactions and their characteristics. Bohr’s postulate of compound nuclear reaction, Ghoshal’s experiment.

5. Nuclear fission and fusion: Discovery and characteristics, explanation in terms of liquid drop model, fission products and energy release, spontaneous and induced fission, transuranic elements. Chain reaction and basic principle of nuclear reactors. Nuclear fusion: energetics in terms of liquid drop model.

6. Particle Accelerator and Detector: Cyclotron – basic theory, synchrotron, GM counter, Proportional counter, scintillation counter.

7. Elementary particles: (a) Four basic interactions in nature and their relative strengths, examples of different types of interactions. Quantum numbers – mass, charge, spin, isotopic spin, intrinsic parity, hypercharge. Charge conjugation. Conservation laws.

(b) Classifications of elementary particles – hadrons and leptons, baryons and mesons, elementary ideas about quark structure of hadrons – octet and decuplet families.

[B.Sc. Hons] Heat & Thermodynamics

[Course contents:]

1. Concept of thermodynamics: Microscopic and Macroscopic points of view: thermodynamic variables of a system, state function, exact and inexact differentials.

Isolated system, closed system, open system, extensive and intensive properties.

2. Zeroth law and First Law of Thermodynamics : Thermal equilibrium, zeroth law and the concept of temperature; Thermodynamic equilibrium, internal energy, external work, review of 1st law of thermodynamics and it's applications. Perpetual motion of first kind.

3. Second Law of Thermodynamics: Reversible and irreversible processes, Indicator diagram, Spontaneous process, review of various statement of second law of thermodynamics. Carnot-cycle, and it's efficiency, Carnot's theorem, Kelvin or thermodynamic scale of temperature and it's relation with perfect gas scale, Clausius inequality, entropy, change of entropy in simple reversible and irreversible processes, entropy change in gases and mixture of gases, entropy and disorder, equilibrium and entropy principle, principle of degradation of energy, temperature entropy diagram.

4.Thermodynamic Functions and Maxwell's relation: Enthalpy, Helmholtz and Gibbs’ free energies; Legendre transformations, Maxwell’s relations and simple deductions using these relations; thermodynamic equilibrium and free energies.

5. Change of State: Equilibrium between phases, triple point, Gibb’s phase rule (statement only) and simple applications. First and higher order phase transitions, Ehrenfest criterion. Clausius-Clapeyron’s equation. Calculation of Joule-Thomson cooling and temperature of inversion.

6. Heat Engines: External combustion engine, Rankine cycle, Otto and Diesel cycle.

(i) Steam generators: classification, construction and functioning, mountings and accessories.

(ii) Refrigeration Cycles: Basics principles of air, vapour compression and vapour absorption refrigeration cycles.